Susanna and the Elders, Giovanni Segala (Venice 1663 – Murano 1720)

Giovanni Segala (Venice 1663 – Murano 1720)

Susanna and the elders

oil painting on canvas
155 x 127 cm. – with frame 174 x 146 cm.

This very pleasant painting, of considerable size, illustrates the story of Susanna, narrated in the pages of the Old Testament (Daniel, XIII): faithful wife of a rich Jew, she is harassed while she is about to bathe in the garden of her palace by two vicious old judges who threaten to denounce her as an unfaithful woman if she does not grant them her favours;

The woman refuses to give in to blackmail and faces trial for false accusations of adultery; now on the verge of being stoned, she is saved by the prophet Daniel, whose intervention concealed divine intervention, which will expose the two old men's lies.

Here we see the moment when the two men appear behind the young, scantily clad woman, in her attitude of astonishment, as she tries to hide her nakedness with her arm and a white cloth, alluding to her purity.

The iconographic theme of 'Susanna and the Elders', which apparently boasted moralistic intentions, became very fashionable starting from the Baroque period due to its evident erotic implications, duly masked by its biblical origins, and for its intrinsic exaltation of marital fidelity and chastity.

The representation of Susanna half-naked was therefore often a pretext to satisfy the clients' desire for female nude subjects: here the torsion that her body assumes is beautiful, painted as a naked but innocent triumph of candid and opulent flesh.

The painting is by the Venetian painter Giovanni Segala (Venice 1663–1720), considered one of the leading exponents of Venetian painting between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. With his light colors and elegantly calm painting style, featuring large, velvety surfaces, he was a precursor of Venetian painting in the early eighteenth century. After an initial apprenticeship with Pietro Vecchia, his sources of inspiration were Antonio Bellucci and Gregorio Lazzarini.

At the end of the 1680s he achieved such fame and prestige that he was hired by the Marquises Von Platen to decorate Linden Castle in Hannover, Germany, creating some works that are now preserved in the Historisches Museum of the same city.

The work's features, a perfect example of his style, allow us to place it in an advanced phase of his career, where he favored a delicate chromatic range based on light and bright tones, as well as transparent hues and a soft luminosity.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work sold is completed by a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and guarantee.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works.

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